INAUGURAL AWARDS CELEBRATE POLICE INTERPRETERS

ON 28 APRIL the first National Police Interpreter of the Year Awards were held at the National Police Language Services Conference, organised by the police’s national lead for language services, the Leicestershire Police.

Baroness Coussins, vice president of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, delivered the keynote address congratulating the winners. The awards ceremony celebrated and was a powerful reminder of the extraordinarily important and challenging work public service interpreters do within the criminal justice system.

The winner of Spoken Interpreter of the Year for 2023 was Samira Hajmi, with Shefki Bytyqi the runner-up. The Simon Cole Award for Excellence in Police Interpreting went to Karina Stefanescu (pictured, right, with Baroness Coussins). Awards were also given for NonSpoken Interpreter of the Year to Alison Gilchrist and runner-up Lesley Weatherson.

A special mention went to Ian Fraser and Mark Lewis of Leicestershire Police for their work in supporting police interpreting nationally and for conceiving and managing the awards.

In her address Baroness Coussins paid tribute to the work of police interpreters: “The strategic importance of linguists goes largely and producers of these translations.”

ITI chief executive Paul Wilson added: “Our members regularly report on issues with authorities whose requirements on producing certified translations can vary greatly. Through this initiative we will guide public authorities towards qualified and accredited members and partners who can provide a true, complete and accurate certified translation.”

The ATC’s CEO Raisa McNab welcomed the collaboration: “Uncertainty serves no one,” she asserted. “No one benefits from translations carried out by a next door neighbour who has an 'A’ Level in French.

“Our aim is to ensure that certified translations in the UK are produced by suitably qualified, registered translators and reputable translation companies, and we look forward to working with the ITI and the CIOL on this initiative.” q unnoticed and unsung, especially in your field of law enforcement and the administration of justice, despite being so vital – vital to the quality of public services, to the quality of justice and to human rights. You can almost count on headlines when things go wrong, but the daily competent exercise of your specialist and professional skills is largely hidden and yet every year in England and Wales public service interpreters attend about 66,000 face-to-face assignments for police forces, often in out of the way places at unsociable times.” q